I want Peace in my home, not just this season, but all year round.
Is it possible to attain peace in a home full of boisterous little people? I think so. While children should be allowed to be children to a certain extent, I think we can influence them toward a more peaceful existence.
Peace in the home begins with the Mama. It is so important to be peaceful yourself before you can pass this along to those around you. Children see so much and take their cues from how Mama is behaving. You cannot have a peaceful home without being peaceful yourself.
To maintain harmony in interpersonal relationships between siblings, I have found that I need to be a facilitator in their relationships. To this end, I have found tomato staking to be incredibly helpful. While I do not adhere to everything on this site, I do believe that Mama's presence and involvement in the activities and relationships of younger children is absolutely essential to the learning of harmonious interactions. Speaking peace over your children is also hugely helpful and makes a difference. Use soft tones and kind words. It changes how they speak to one another.
Keeping my home quiet and serene is a bit more of a challenge and usually only occurs in the evening. During the day, hustle and bustle is a normal part of keeping this family moving and making progress in the areas that need to be addressed. But in the late afternoon, after our final cleanup, that is when I move toward a quiet, peaceful time at home. We light candles, turn on soft music, sit and read books together or play quietly. The point is to end the day on serene note, to move toward bedtime in a restful way. For this tired Mama, it gives a break at the end of the day. Voices are quieter. The mad dash of the day is over.
How does one maintain peace during this crazy Holiday time of year? This is where the freedom from mental stress and strife comes in. Maybe it will mean scaling back a bit - not cooking 10 different kinds of cookies, not attending every single holiday party you are invited to, not buying gifts for every single person you have ever met. After this season is over, what will you really wish you had done more of? Hitting every possible store sale, or spending time with those close to you in peaceful harmony together?
In this situation, less really might be more.
Even the most simple of holiday celebrations can be special when peace is present.
What are some ways you are pursuing peace for your family this year?
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